Is dealer service trying a ripoff?
 

I'm selling my 70,000 mile 2004 E500 and a buyer had me take the car to a dealer for a check out. Nothing major found but they wrote that it needs an oil change, coolant change, transmission fluid change and brake fluid change. First off, how do they know the oil is dirty when there isn't even a dipstick on this model? The FFS indicator shows the next service isn't due for almost 10,000 miles. Second, the owners manual says the car requires coolant changes only every 150,000 miles or 15 years. Third, doesn't the transmission in this car have lifetime fluid, or at least maybe to 100,000 but cetainly not at 70K. And lastly, I just changed the brake fluid two months ago. It looks like they couldn't find any REAL problems so they had to make up some service to get money.

MB changed their position on "Lifetime" transmission fluid a long time ago. They recommend changing it every 60k....personally, I do it every year.

Brake fluid is supposed to be changed every TWO years. So yours is well overdue if original.

Coolant is good to change every 3-4 years....it costs what, $30 to do that? Big deal.

Not sure on the oil change, I thought they said to not use the FSS and instead change it every 7500 or 10,000 miles or something.

The "long-interval" services are not a good thing at all, just leads to lots of failed parts.

profit centers
 

A longtime friend who is in the business recently told me that dealerships have apparently tried to turn their service bays into profit centers to offset poor vehicle sales. He related to me how he picked up a new customer due to the dealership charging $2K for various unneeded fluid flushes and didn't even repair the problem the customer reported (check engine light pointing to bad MAF). My friend's shop replaced the MAF and now has a customer for life. Mark

What dealership?
They may in a way be doing your car a favor, it you have documentation for the brake fluid change and the oil-change being done, you have that to show how well you maintain the car.
And 70K miles is probably the perfect mileage for a trans fluid change - I'm a bit less enthusiastic about the trans fluid flush.
And a good time to do the coolant change.

I do understand your concern that your car is maintained well and the dealership is screwing your sale due to an inaccurate recomendation for service.

Its a used car!

If I was buying a used car I would change most of that soon after I bought it just to be sure it was done anyway. I wouldnt let that change my price but being the agreeable person that I am I would point out that the car checks out perfectly other then a few maint issues that are due. :)

BTW - Current recommendation for tran service on 722.6 & 722.9 trans is 39K miles. Been in effect a couple of years now.

The new transmission fluid change recommendation is one time only at 39-40K miles.

It's a negative to change coolant more often, as this loses the chemicals added to make it last 15 years in the first place.

Oil changes are every 10-13K miles and those are VERY conservative numbers, as the changes are maybe 20K miles in Europe. America is chock full of oil change geniuses, and typically American distribution arms of German companies reduce the intervals for "political" reasons.

TRANS CHANGE INTERVAL
 

Since 2005, in fact. Saw the MB document. BTW, it is NOT one time only. It's every 39K forevermore. The next change would be after warranty expiration and MB is no longer on the hook.

Perhaps yes with the new extended coolant the newer cars have, very true.

However, trans fluid should still be changed every 40k....not just once....I do it 2x as often as that....once a year.

Perhaps the modern engines with their super fleece filters and ultra-clean operation can get away with 10-20k oil changes, but a 617 would have partially solidified oil by 10k if you didn't change it. :eek: Way too much soot. I never go much over 4k on those......oil gets dirty, better to change it. I don't believe in the 10k+ stuff.....highest I'd go is maybe 7-8k on a newer engine....and that's barely 1-2x a year with the amount I drive, especially with more than one car.

Believe it; its a factor of engine design and ever improving oils.

FSS on my diesel with my freeway miles always lets me go the 16K max it is programmed for. When tested, its M1 has never had less than 50% of its TBN remaining, more than a trace of soot and shows virtually no fuel contamination. It doesn't use a fleece filter.